Bodega dreams

"A new and authentic voice of the urban Latino experience." --Esmeralda Santiago, author of When I Was Puerto Rican

In a stunning narrative combining the gritty rhythms of Junot Diaz with the noir genius of Walter Mosley, Bodega Dreams announces the arrival of a writer who The Village Voice has already hailed as "a Writer on the Verge."

The word is out in Spanish Harlem: Willy Bodega is king. Need college tuition for your daughter? Start-up funds for your fruit stand? Bodega can help. He gives everyone a leg up, in exchange only for loyalty--and a steady income from the drugs he pushes.

Lyric, inspired, and darkly funny, this powerful debut novel brilliantly evokes the trial of Chino, a smart, promising young man to whom Bodega turns for a favor. Chino is drawn to Bodega's street-smart idealism, but soon finds himself over his head, navigating an underworld of switchblade tempers, turncoat morality, and murder.

From inside the book

Results 1-3 of 24

Page 13A Rivera from Spanish Harlem by any other name would still be from SpanishHarlem." Blanca laughed and called me stupid. Then she said, "I have an aunt
named Veronica. When she married this rich guy from Miami, she changed her
name ...

Page 161What those skyscrapers and lights don't let on is that hidden away lies SpanishHarlem, a slum that has been handed ... to pass it on. A paradox of crime and
kindness. It had evolved spontaneously on the island, accessible to everyone.
East ...

Page 210On my way back to Spanish Harlem, I figured that it wasn't Fischman that had set
that fire in retaliation for Salazar's death. Nazario must have set that fire himself.
That's why he was at the scene so quickly, presenting himself to the tenants as if
...

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LibraryThing Review

User Review - BtB_Library - LibraryThing

Bodega Dreams features really well-written, sympathetic characters living in Spanish Harlem. With a gripping, detailed portrayal of the neighborhood and a fast moving plot that's very easy to get ...Read full review

LibraryThing Review

User Review - marciathing - LibraryThing

The books by Ernesto Quinonez were my first introduction to Spanish Harlem. Thanks to my Midwestern existence, and even to some years in S. Texas, I had never known this place existed. Both his novels are fantastic and engrossing. I'm looking forward to more.Read full review

Contents

Because Men Who Built This Country Were Men from the Streets

1

Because a Single Lawyer Can Steal More Money Than a Hundred Men with Guns